Michael Zarchin begins his first year as principal of Pyle Middle School, succeeding Alan Goodwin, who is now principal at Walt Whitman High School. Zarchin was previously assistant principal at Kingsview Middle School, and he is a 1987 graduate of Churchill High School, where his father was an assistant principal for 23 years. Some of his aunts and uncles went to Wootton High School.
What will be the biggest challenges facing Pyle this year?
“My biggest challenge is to get to know the teachers, get to know the students and parents… building on achievement and building on excellence.”
Is there anything you wish parents would do more?
“Stay involved. A lot of times, parents think that in middle school and high school, they can step back a bit. … What I’ve seen here is parents being very involved. When you look at successful schools, that’s a component of their success.”
Is there anything you wish parents would do less?
“No. The parents have been very helpful, coming in as late as I did in the summer. … It’s been nice to feel so welcomed from the parents.”
What is your favorite thing about Pyle?
“It’s got everything – the staff is tremendous, the parents are involved, and the students are fantastic.
“A lot of parents have attended Pyle themselves and have a lot of good feelings for the school.”
What will be the biggest differences between last year and this year?
“I don’t know that there are any major changes. My goal is to continue improving on what’s already here.”
Previous principals Michael Doran and Alan Goodwin “were both very strong principals. I’m coming into a situation where things are in place and few drastic changes need to be made.”
–Interview by Alex Scofield